Dr. Wilfred V. Huang, Jenny Zhang, and Shirley Zhu, representatives from the Alfred University Confucius Institute, will present “China to Alfred/Alfred to China” on Thursday, Feb. 18, during AU’s Bergren Forum at 12:10 p.m., at Nevins Theatre in Powell Campus Center. This event is free of charge and open to public.

Huang, Zhang, and Zhu will lead a presentation on the work of the Confucius Institute and their advocacy of bringing Chinese culture to the world. Also, Zhang and Zhu will talk about their experiences in overcoming cultural differences during their stay in the United States.

Confucius Institute, with over 200 chapters worldwide, is a non-profit public institute which aims at promoting Chinese language and culture through education across the globe.

According to Huang, director of Alfred University’s Institute, future plans for the AU chapter include an array of programs – a lecture series that will focus on Chinese culture would be open to the public; non-credit courses in Mandarin which are open to AU students, faculty, staff and community members; certificate training in Mandarin for teachers of kindergarten through 12th grade; and study abroad programs to China.

Huang is also professor of management at AU. Working with him in the Institute are Zhang, who teaches Chinese at AU, and Zhu, who teaches Chinese around New York State. Zhang earned her bachelor of arts and master of arts degrees from China University of Geosciences; Zhu received her master of arts degree in English language and literature from Huazhong Normal University. Both Zhang and Zhu have rich experiences in language education.

The Bergren Forum, sponsored by the Alfred University Division of Human Studies, meets Thursdays during each academic semester at the University. Participants are encouraged to bring a lunch; coffee and tea will be available.